Page 115 of From Air

This trip to Missoula for the weekend is exactly what I need to keep my mind off the debacle of my past.

A few phone calls and daily texts are not enough.

I’m dying to see Fitz. Will and Maren too.

“Oh my god! That face says everything.” Maren gives me a mock-pouty expression when I exit the airport in Missoula.

“Hey!” I park my roller bag and hug her. “What look are you referring to? What face?”

She releases me. “I told Fitz and Will I wanted to pick you up. I said you’d be most excited to see me.” She takes my roller bag and pulls it toward the parking lot. “But your face dropped the second you spied me.”

“That is not true.” I clasp her free hand and squeeze it. “I have missed you something fierce.”

“But have you missed me as much as say ... Will?”

I giggle.

“Or, uh ... who’s that other guy you lived with? Oh, Calvin. Surely you didn’t miss that asshole.” She unlocks her car and deposits my bag in the back before turning with a sly grin.

I bite my lips together. Eyes wide.

“Matching tattoos.”

I nod slowly, knowing I must look like a mammoth pile of guilt.

“What’s it like to fall in love with grumpy Calvin Fitzgerald? Better yet, how is that possible?”

I shrug. “Why didn’t you say anything? We texted so many times after you saw his tattoo. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know if he’d tell you. And I wantedyouto tell me. I wantedyouto trust me with it. I don’t expect that of him, but I expected it of you.”

I sag.

“No. I’m not mad at all.” She gives me a crestfallen smile. “How are you? When I heard about your attack, my heart broke hard. I couldn’t imagine who would do such a thing to my friend.”

“I’m good.” I rotate my face around. “See? You can’t even tell, other than that my nose is a little crooked, but it will stay that way.”

“It’s not crooked. Get in. Will’s dying to see you.”

I love her game. She’s not wrong. I was slightly disappointed when I saw it wasn’t Fitz, but this anticipation is incredibly rewarding—a massive adrenaline rush.

“I can’t get anything out of Fitz,” Maren confesses, pulling out of the parking lot. “He hasn’t made a single friendship bracelet with your name. He’s not checking his horoscope. And when I ask about his girlfriend, he says, ‘Who’s that?’”

I laugh. “Well, I’m not sure I’m his girlfriend. I’m not sure he’s the girlfriend type.”

“So it’s just friends with benefits? I don’t buy that. That look back there at the airport was the look of a woman getting ready to run into her lover’s arms. That was the look that said you were going to have atleast one orgasm before making it back to the house.” She snickers, not even taking herself seriously.

“I can’t talk about this with you. It’s too weird. It’s like you’re his sister.” I cover my face and shake my head.

She rests her hand on my leg for a second. “Full disclosure?”

I nod, hands sliding down my face.

“When I spied Fitz’s tattoo, I couldn’t breathe. I stood right in front of him and put myself in your shoes. And, oh man, did my heart ache. Two of my favorite humans fell in love but weren’t together. And if you ever tell Fitz I called him one of my favorite humans, I will deny it.”

I grin.

“But it shook me. It shook me because I asked him if he slept with you, and he said yes. Then I asked if he loved you, and he didn’t hesitate. Not one damn second, not a tiny breath of hesitation. He said yes so resolutely it felt like a punch to my gut.”

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